"Bueno," said Bailey, as he finished tightening the hammer stud and started putting on the metal side plates.
"Compañeros, can't you hear me? Wassail and song. No violence. Oh, carajo—"
"I'll ask you once more." Crawford's voice was flat. "Get out of my way."
"You're not going any place," said Innes, pulling his buckskin jacket up off the handle of his own gun. "Why don't you sit down?"
"Yeah." Bailey had the walnut grips screwed on. He reached for the barrel, fitting it in place. "Why don't you sit down?"
Crawford stooped over to grab the hilt of Delcazar's bowie in his boot and lunged forward at the same time. He struck Ford Innes doubled over. The red-bearded man expelled his air in a gasp and went down. Crawford let himself go with Innes, rolling off the man as they struck. He came face up with the knife in his hand. It happened so fast that Aforismo only had time to pull his belduque back for the throw. Crawford's position prevented an over-the-shoulder throw such as Aforismo's.
"All right, Del," he grunted, and heaved the bowie from his hip, point foremost, while he was still in the act of rolling off Innes.
"Chingado!" he heard Aforismo scream. Bailey's body blocked the view in that same moment. Crawford did not see the blow coming. He shouted hoarsely with the pain of Bueno's Dragoon barrel slashing across his head. Stunned, the most he could do was let his knee fly up. It caught Bailey in the crotch. The man's explosive grunt held a sick agony.
Crawford was still sprawled partly across Innes, the redheaded man had been striving to free his gun without wasting time trying to get from beneath Crawford. He had it out now and was twisting to bring it in line. Blinded by Bailey's blow, Crawford squirmed around, launching a wild kick at Innes. It caught the redhead's fist as he pulled the trigger, knocking the gun up. The Remington's boom filled the room, and the slug knocked a rain of the whitewash they called yeso off the ceiling.
"Lástima de Dios!" Aforismo's voice came from somewhere after the shot, "come and pull it out, you chile, come and get it out—"